Category Archives: Synod

Hope & Clarity: Recharge Your Spirit

Ready for a reset? Just in time for summer, Hope & Clarity: Recharge Your Spirit will be offered June 2-4, 2019 in Peoria, IL. This is your chance to join female colleagues in ministry for about 40 hours of relaxing, re-energizing and restoring. We’ll begin with a reception Sunday night at 7 pm Central, and end on Tuesday morning by 11 am Central.

We can’t promise that you’ll leave the retreat irrevocably transformed, but our intention is that you will leave strengthened, refreshed, and more connected with your self and with others.

We have a great hotel reserved for about 40 women.

We’ll begin there Sunday night at 7 pm Central for hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and informal conversation. Then we invite you to get a good night’s sleep.

On Monday (all day) and Tuesday (morning only) we’ll meet on the 12 beautiful acres of United Presbyterian Church. We’ll have small and large group discussion, worship and individual reflection time. All the things.

Drs. Caroline Burke and Krista Redlinger-Grosse will facilitate our time together.

Revs. Sue Krummel and Sara Dingman will host us.

The Synod of Lincoln Trails is directing its financial resources toward this event, regardless of your presbytery membership, so that YOU can enjoy the resources of ONE ANOTHER. You must be a PC(USA) teaching elder or certified ruling elder/commissioned lay pastor, in good standing, to attend. Whether the setting in which you serve is a congregation, a hospital, a university or college, or another missional organization, we welcome you.

Total cost to you, for two nights’ lodging and all food and conference fees, is $50 if you share a hotel room, and $150 if you’d like your own hotel room. This fee is non-refundable beginning May 1st. Some partial scholarships are available – contact Sara for more details.

Spaces are limited and registration will go live on April 1st. We are asking that colleagues from synods beyond SOLT wait until April 10th to register.

We are proud to subsidize $250+ of the actual cost per partipicant, for all participants regardless of synod membership. We are stronger together.

Register for the event

For logistical questions, contact Wynesia (wynesia@nulllincolntrails.org). For other questions, contact Sara (sara@nulllincolntrails.org).

Core Godly Play Training: BLOOMINGTON IN 08-2018

First Presbyterian Church Bloomington is honored to be hosting Godly Play Core training August 24, 25, 26. If your congregation is using or interested in this curriculum, click on this link for the training schedule and registration. Download the flyer

From the Curriculum website:
What is Godly Play?

The result of a lifetime of research and practice by theologian, author and educator The Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman, the Godly Play® method is a curriculum of spiritual practice exploring the mystery of God’s presence in our lives. The Godly Play curriculum engages what is most exciting about religious education: God inviting us into—and pursuing us in the midst of—Scripture and spiritual experience. Godly Play practice teaches us to listen for God and to make authentic and creative responses to God’s call in our lives.

The Art of Transitional Ministry – Registration Now Open

The Synods of Lincoln Trails and Mid-America (MALT) have joined together to provide interim training every spring and fall to pastors nationwide. Transitional Ministry Education is intended for those presently engaged in interim ministry and those inquiring about this ministry. Committee on Ministry members and presbytery staff persons with responsibility for congregations in transition will also find the training helpful.

MALT Weeks 1 and 2 (“The Art of Transitional Ministry”) will be held
October 31st – November 4th, 2016. 

  • Registration is now electronic and through eventbrite.
  • The Synod now accepts credit cards (as well as checks) for payments.
  • A signature is no longer required by COM moderators or EPs
  • The event brochure is available here on the Synod Website.

For more information, see the Interim Pastor Training page, here.

Transitional Ministry Education for 2016

The Synods of Lincoln Trails and Mid-America (MALT) have joined together to provide interim training every spring and fall to pastors nationwide. Transitional Ministry Education is intended for those presently engaged in interim ministry and those inquiring about this ministry. Committee on Ministry members and presbytery staff persons with responsibility for congregations in transition will also find the training helpful.

Scheduled transitional ministry education:
October 31 – November 4, 2016 in Saint Louis, MO

Registration to go “live” in mid July for October/November event.

ABOUT TRANSITIONAL MINISTRY EDUCATION

We live in a time of great transition in our churches and culture. Transitional Ministry Education is intended for those presently engaged in or inquiring about the nature of transitional ministry. This includes Temporary Transitional Ministry positions; which may include interim ministry, designated ministry, other temporary ministry or Installed Transitional Ministry which includes all other parish ministry positions. Committee on Ministry members and presbytery staff persons with responsibility for congregations in this time of transition will also find the education helpful.

Basic Transitional Ministry Education consists of 60 contact hours plus a practicum. The contact hours are divided equally between two residency weeks: Week I (30 hours) and Week II (30 hours), separated by a practicum which combines reflection on, and experience in, some aspect of interim/transitional ministry.

MALT offers education for both Weeks I & II. Participants must complete both Residency Week I and all practicum assignments before taking part in Residency Week II. Those who complete the first week of basic education at another site must complete all MALT practicum assignments prior to attending Residency Week II.

We offer a full thirty (30) hours of education for each week. If you desire to receive a Statement of Completion for this event, you must actively participate in all sessions in their entirety (30 contact hours).

Early registration will ensure participants ample time to complete reading assignments prior to the start of each residency week.

Click here to go to the Synod of Lincoln Trails website for more information.

Invitation from the Synod of Lincoln Trails

Dear Friends,

For many years now the Synod of Lincoln Trails has gathered for an overnight fall assembly meeting to discuss together a book chosen by the assembly leadership team. This book tends to be a springboard into the planning for the upcoming year and helps the assembly shape and form together the partnerships the Synod hopes to grow and develop.

This year, in anticipation of some new opportunities developing between our synod, the Synod of Mid-America, and the Synod of Lakes and Prairies, the leadership team has chosen the Rev. Bruce Reyes-Chow’s book But I Don’t See You as Asian. We are also fortunate enough to be able to welcome him to our assembly as well. Because of this unique opportunity, we, as a leadership team wish to extend an invitation to the larger synod to join with us Friday night 7:00 -8:30 at Second Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis (770A N. Meridian St.) for a discussion with Bruce to help us create a space to identify and work to remove barriers of racism within our society.

We also recognize that it is physically impossible for many of you to make it to this event in person. Plans are underway to record this discussion as well and the synod will be happy to let you know when that will be available to view. There will also be refreshments and time to connect. We look forward to seeing you there!

In Christ,

Karen Hahn
Moderator, Synod of Lincoln Trails

Campus Ministries within the Synod of Lincoln Trails

As young people leave home and head off to college for the first time in the fall there will be all kinds of organizations, activities, and opportunities competing for their attention.  They will be seeking out the activities and events where they can meet people and make new friends.  We would like to make sure that the Presbyterian Campus ministries around Indiana and Illinois are able to reach out to the rising first-year students from your congregation and help connect them to other young people from churches like yours and to find fellowship, worship, education, and service opportunities in their new home.

Below you will find contact information for all the ministries in the Synod of Lincoln trails that are registered with the PC(USA)  “U-Kirk” network. If you would share with us the names and contact information for your rising first-years we would love to have the opportunity to reach out to them and make them feel “spiritually” welcome in their new surroundings.

Download contact information.

Thank you in advance for your help and every blessing on your ministry!

In Christ’s name,

Dwight Podgurski
Butler University
303-947-8644; dpodgurski@nullsecondchurch.org

Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort
Indiana University
812-345-9388; miheekk@nullgmail.com

Dr. Ben Gates
Fort Wayne and Indiana Institute of Technology
gatesb@nullipfw.edu

Jessica Hawkinson
Lake Forest College
jhawkinson@nullfirstchurchlf.org

Autumn James
Northern Illinois University and Kishwaukee College: 
815-756-2905; Christian.Ed@nullwestminsterdekalb.org

Rev Julie Windsor Mitchell
Northwestern University
847-864-2320; ucm@nullu.northwestern.edu

Allen Bol or Rev Dave Comstock
Purdue University
Allen:  bolallen@nullgmail.com
Dave: 317-506-8184; pastordaveip@nullgmail.com

Transitional Ministry Education (Interim Pastor Training)

The Synods of Lincoln Trails and Mid-America (MALT) have joined together to provide interim training every spring and fall to pastors nationwide. Transitional Ministry Education is intended for those presently engaged in interim ministry and those inquiring about this ministry. Committee on Ministry members and presbytery staff persons with responsibility for congregations in transition will also find the training helpful. The next interim pastor training will be April 20-24, 2015.

Find out more on the Synod of Lincoln Trails website.